Get Ready for January!

I hate to bog down my blog with posts about products, but just a quick note to let you know that I finished up with some Winter Math and Literacy Centers that you might find useful for January!  They're super cute, engaging, and (as always) aligned to the Common Core Standards.  My January Writing Activities are also uploaded.  I'll be back tomorrow to link up for another post (and NOT talk about products).

{Click Here} to Download




{Click Here} to Download



Wishing you all a Happy New Year!  God Bless!
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Fairy Tale Makeover

As I was looking over my products, I took a moment to completely makeover my Fairy Tale Unit found {HERE}.  I got rid of the pastel (girly) colors, backgrounds, and printables, and also recreated all of the printables to include only black and white to conserve not only my ink, but yours as well!  All new fonts, borders, and frames, and I got rid of the girly stuff.  I hope you (and the boys in your classroom) appreciate that!  :)

The best thing is: You can get this new and improved unit for FREE if you've already purchased it simply by going to TeachersPayTeachers and clicking on My Purchases at the top.  Then find the Fairy Tale Unit and click Download Now!  It's FREE as can be and completely updated and refreshed (if you've already purchased it)!  So what are you waiting for?!  See below for details and if you haven't already purchased it, check out some of the feedback and consider the unit for meeting some of the Common Core Standards in your classroom.  I think you'll love it!

Click {HERE} to Download!


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2012 Blog Best & Brightest Linky

I'm linking up with Mrs. Bainbridge to reflect on my best and brightest bloggy moments of 2012.  This should be fun!  Click on over to her blog to get linked up and share your special moments from this year!


Most Popular (Visited) Blog Post:

By far, the most popular blog post of 2012 from 2nd Grade Stuff can be found {HERE}.  I posted this on January 16, 2012 (just 10 days after I started my TPT store).  This post is a mixture of a couple random things, but it's where I first introduced my TPT Best Seller for the first time: my Common Core Graphic Organizers.  I created these graphic organizers when most districts had barely been introduced to the Common Core Standards and they exploded on Pinterest and sales immediately followed.  At the time, there weren't many Common Core materials out there, so these really took off for me in my store.  Also on this post, I offered a free preview with a couple of free samples of the organizers.


FYI: I have recently updated some of the fonts in this pack.  You can go back to your My Purchases on TPT and re-download from there to receive the latest version with updated fonts.  I think you'll love it!

Blog Post with the Most Comments:

My blog post with the most comments can be found {HERE}.  This blog post was featured on the popular blog post by the School Supply Addict found {HERE} and all over Pinterest :)  Ashley (School Supply Addict Blog Author) put this caption underneath the picture from my blog on her featured post: 
"2nd Grade Stuff: Whoa.  This room rocks my socks off.  It is completely coordinated and beautiful!"



Most Popular FREEBIE:

Without a doubt, my most popular FREEBIE downloaded was the Number of the Day freebie.  You can find that {HERE}:

Graphics by: KPM Doodles and Fancy Dog Studio
Fonts by: www.kevinandamanda.com, http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Tracee-Orman

My Favorite Post from A Fellow Blogger:

Without a doubt, my favorite post that I have ever read on a blog was from Ladybug's Teacher Files and can be found {HERE}.  She posted a video tutorial for how to make printables using PowerPoint for TPT.  I watched this, began creating with this program, and never looked back.  She has other wonderful tutorials on her blog and many, many free printables as well.  She's wonderful!  If you don't already follow her (and I'm sure you do), click on over there and follow her right away!

Well, thank you for reading along and thank you for all of your support and dedication to 2nd Grade Stuff in my first year of blogging and TPT.  2012 has been a year of many blessings.  Each of you who take the time to read my blog, take a look at my products, and share with others are a part of that blessing - so thank you!
Follow Me {Again} on Pinterest!
Now before I go, I have a favor to ask.  My Pinterest account got all kinds of crazy and I had to completely start from scratch, so PLEASE help me build back up my followers by re-following me on Pinterest.  You can find me {HERE}.  It's an entire new Pinterest account so bare with me while I build back up my boards.  Thanks friends!
Wishing you all the best in 2013!
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January Common Core Writing

Whew!  I have finally started to feel a little better after a very long recovery from a very minor surgery. So I apologize for the absence in the blogging world.

I've received many sweet emails regarding the Common Core Writing Activities for January and I'm happy to say that they are done and uploaded to TPT as of right now!!  Yay!  And if I do say so myself, I can't wait to let my kiddos do some of these writing activities.

The Opinion writing is probably my favorite this month.  In the spirit of authentic writing, the students will be placed in a real-world scenario.  It has snowed overnight and snow is covering the roads.  The students must write a letter to the superintendent or principal stating their opinion about school being closed due to inclement weather.  They must decide if school should be closed or not and provide reasons to support their opinions - how fun!

You can see the Preview below or download the Preview directly from my TPT store by clicking {HERE}.



I will probably be in and out between now and after Christmas, so please be safe and have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  God bless!
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Silence for Sandy Hook Elementary


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Cyber Monday + Tuesday TPT Sale!

I have to thank my husband for helping me get this post published on my blog.  I am recovering from minor surgery, so it took his help to get this online for you all to see.  This also explains my absence from the blogging/TPT/FB world lately - so sorry!

I know you've already heard about TPT's Cyber Monday Plus Tuesday Sale! Well I'm putting my ENTIRE store on sale for 20% off PLUS, if you use the code CMT12 at checkout, TPT will give you another 10% off of that!  That's a great deal!

Click on the graphic below or the gadget on the right of my blog to stock up on all your Common Core goodies from my TPT Store!


Special thanks to Ashley Hughes from The School Supply Addict for the cute graphic above.

Because of my health issues, I haven't even blogged about my last two products (November Common Core Writing Activities and December Common Core Writing Activities).  Now would be the perfect time to purchase the other months if you don't already have them and complete your set!  Direct links can be found below:



Thanks for all your patience while I try to recover from this surgery.  You guys are great and loyal customers!  God Bless!  :)
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Shopping Fun. Fall Break is Over.

Well, friends, I've been on Fall Break all week and I can't say that I've gotten a whole lot accomplished other than a lot of rest and laziness.  Some people (ahem) call me a work-a-holic.  I just like to think of myself as on-task, ahead-of-the-game, proactive.  Those sound a LOT better than work-a-holic, right?!  So I vowed that this Fall Break would be spent doing a whole lot of nothin'!  And I did just that!  And I kinda liked it...shhh!

First, I'm linking up with my friend, Farley, over at Oh' Boy 4th Grade for her monthly Currently Linky.  I'm pretty sure I missed this the last few months...BUSY!  So here's my Currently for October:


Head on over to Farley's blog to join in the Linky Party Fun!


BUT, one day I did spend some time shopping (doesn't really count though right?).  I found some fun items at Target and Wal-Mart that I just couldn't live without and then I felt like I needed to do something a little productive.  Let's get on to the fun stuff first.  :)

What is this?!  60 Halloween erasers for $1 - a teacher's dream!  Yes, please!  I plan to use these in our centers as game pieces for our math games and stations.

I fell in love with the pink.  What teacher doesn't need a new pair of scissors?!  I've been looking at the Corner Rounder Punch for a while now.  I got it home, tested it on a piece of paper and loved the rounded edge, but guess what?  After you print on cardstock and laminate, it won't cut through the thickness.... It was a sad day, my friends.  :(

I fell in love with these file folders - 3 for $1 at WalMart.  They're awesome in color and just wait until you see what I used them for!

"More Expo markers?" my husband said.  "Yes, dear.  But look, new colors!"  The double-sided tape and the letters came in handy down below.

Finally, I reworked some of what I had already set up with this fabulous product from Shelley Gray over at Teaching in the Early Years.  You can find this Early Finisher Board on TPT {HERE} and let me just tell you, it is WELL worth every penny.  Love the idea and creativity!  AND she's a wonderful person to top it all off!  Head on over and check out her product - amazing!  You can see I used the file folders, double-sided tape, and letters to set this all up.  I will begin implementing it with the kiddos this week.  Super excited!

It's back to school time for me.  Fall Break is over.  While I have loved my down time, I can't wait to give my kiddos some big hugs when I see them in the morning.  Happy Fall Y'all!

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Cool New Blog Feature!

Hey guys!  Just a quick post tonight to show you a cool new feature on my blog.  If you look down the sidebar to the right underneath the header that says 'Visit my TPT Store", you'll see a cool new blog gadget that lets you preview the most recent and top selling items in my TPT store!  How cool is that?!  I love it :)

Check it out!  ----------------------->

I'll be back in the next few days to tell you why gallon-sized baggies have helped me out this year.  :)

Have a great rest of the week!
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TPT Tips and Tricks & September CCSS Writing

Hello, hello!  It's been a while!  I've finished my second full week of teaching my sweet 2nd graders and my second full week of teaching at the university level as well.  For those who don't know, I also teach EDU 489: Student Teaching Seminar at the university in ALL my spare time...LOL!  But I am surviving and have absolutely fallen in love with teaching the university students.  It is definitely my second passion after teaching my little 2nd graders.

So...I thought I'd write about some little tips and tricks for navigating your downloads and purchases through TeachersPayTeachers.  Take notes :)

First, have you been leaving sweet quality feedback after you purchase an item?  If not, you're missing out - literally!  When you download products, they move to your My Purchases section of the TPT site.  In the My Purchases section, you will see a list of everything you've purchased.  From there, click Provide Feedback beside each of our products.  Each time you leave sweet  quality feedback, you receive TPT Credits.  These TPT Credits can be used towards your next purchase!  Brilliant!  You can find out more about TPT Credits on the TPT site {here}.

Next, the sellers on TPT often get many, many questions regarding the downloads of products.  If you are trying to download a product, open it, and you see blurry or black boxes, this is what you need to do.
  1. Know that this is not the seller's fault or error.  It's an issue on TPT's end at times and an issue on your computer's end at times.  It's easy to fix, so please don't leave poor feedback due to this.
  2. Go to your My Purchases page.
  3. The third paragraph of text will tell you what you need to do to fix this issue.  It's usually just a quick download of the newest version of Adobe Reader.
  4. If you are on a Mac, DO NOT try to open TPT files in Preview.  All TPT files must be opened in Adobe Reader.  To choose the program to open with on a Mac, find your downloaded file, hold down the Control key and click on the file, go to Open With..., and choose Adobe Reader.
  5. If you are still having problems viewing a file and none of the above worked, go to your My Purchases page and look to the right of the screen to find Download Difficulties in RED.  This will direct you to a page where TPT can email you the file or you can Contact TPT for assistance.
  6. Finally, if you still cannot download or open/view a file, go to the bottom of any TPT screen and find Contact Us.  From there, you can Open a Support Ticket and TPT will help you with anything you might be having trouble with.  They usually respond very quickly and are so sweet to work with!
Some buyers also run into the problem of not being able to print the downloaded file, or it only prints half the pages and then stops, or you click File Print and then the icon just spins and spins.  There's an easy fix for this too.  In Adobe Reader click File, Print, then click Advanced, and check the box beside the words Print as Image.  This will help if you're having trouble printing due to large file sizes or files with lots of backgrounds and graphics.

I have to give a shout-out to a very sweet blogger named Linda Kamp from Around the Kampfire.  She just posted a sweet-as-can-be post about me on her blog.  Go check it out {HERE} and go ahead and follow her while you're at it.  She has some great resources and is a super sweet lady too!!

And last, but certainly not least, I am finally finished with the September Common Core Writing Activities.  They follow the same format as my August Common Core Writing Activities.  You can see where I blogged about those {HERE}.  I have thoroughly enjoyed my writing instruction thanks to these nicely aligned writing activities.  My students are loving the real-world connections and are finding it easy fun to write!  I'm lovin' it!  Make sure to hop on over to my TPT store and check them out.  {Click Here} to Download!



Finally, if you haven't "liked" my Facebook Page yet, head on over and follow me there!  I post a little bit more often and give you the heads up on new products and products in the works.  There are even secret giveaways on occassion for all of my Facebook Followers :)  So make sure you follow 2nd Grade Stuff on FB!  

Thanks for stopping by!

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Neon and Bright Classroom Decor

Well, it's done and ready for students!  Take a tour of my classroom below.  It's full of neon and bright classroom decor!  Feel free to pin the vertical picture at the bottom to save for later.

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Fabulous Finds Shopping Spree!

I'm linking up with Elizabeth to show you some Fantastic Finds and a sneak peak into my newly redesigned classroom!  Head on over to Fun in Room 4B to link up!


So, I stalked Walmart {3 of them close to where I live} to find these ice bins to use as book bins for my students with Daily 5 Read to Self.  I think I ended up with 27 of them!  And I got every single one they had {in all 3 stores}!  Now to figure out where to house them...

Of course, the Target Dollar section got attacked by me - as always!  I found two purple small pocket charts, stamps, dry erase boards with primary writing lines (Daily 5 Word Work), pencils, stickers, and playing cards for math games.

Back at Walmart, I grabbed these two black bean bags.  I liked them because they were NOT fabric {lice}, but were a cool plastic material that hopefully won't house any crazy bugs. :)

And to reveal the beautiful baskets that I found at Dollar Tree...I also give you a sneak peak into my newly designed classroom!  Check out those baskets...LOVE the bright colors on black!  This is a preview.  I'll be back with pictures of my entire classroom in the next week or so.

And on to Vista-print.  If you haven't played around with this website yet, what are you waiting for?  Fabulous finds for cheap!  Here are a few of the things I purchased.

These are actually business cards that I made into Fantastic Friday tickets!  This is a way to rewarding students for good behavior all week.  I got 250 cards for FREE!

10 pieces of letterhead - I smudged my personal information out at the top and at the bottom. Got these for FREE too!

I ordered these to put on the backs of any new books that I purchase for my classroom - FREE!

These are business card sized magnets that I ordered to give to my parents at Open House.  I smudged it out but under my name is my email address and phone number.  At the bottom I listed the class website link.

Three personalized self-inking stamps...LOVE!



A pen that has my name on it and school's name!  Cute and matches my room's pink and lime green color scheme!

This is a close-up of the inside of the pen.  Under my name is the name of my school, but I smudged it out.  Did I mention this pen was also FREE?

Whew!  What do you think?  I love it all!!!  Head on over to Elizabeth's Fun in Room 4B Linky Party to join in the fun!

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Tell Me More, Tell Me More...Linky Party

I'm linking up with Amy Lemons over at Step Into Second Grade for her Tell Me More, Tell Me More Linky Party.

In the words of one of my sweet bloggy friends, "Let's talk about me for a minute."  Here are some interesting, weird, quirky, and hopefully fun things to learn about me.  AND to keep it a little more interesting, I embedded a cool pin from Pinterest to go along with each interesting fact.  Enjoy :)

1. First and foremost, I am a Christian.  My family goes to church every Sunday and we love having God as the center of our lives.  I LOVE this verse.

Source: via Jamie on Pinterest



2. I have a fabulous husband and we have a little boy who will be starting 1st grade this year!  Crazy how the time flies.  Fun part is...he'll be in the classroom right down the hall from me - one of the many perks of being a teacher in the same building as your baby {well, maybe not a baby anymore}.  BUT I am contemplating making this to put on my nearly 7-year-old's bedroom wall...

Source: google.com via Roberta on Pinterest


3. I am a Mac Geek.  Yes, in our home we have 2 iPads, 3 iPhones, a Macbook Air laptop, an iMac desktop, and even an Apple TV.  It's safe to say we could keep the great Apple company in business for years to come.  I'm pretty sure the pin below is the coolest thing ever - see, I told ya... gadget geek...


4. I have a friend {I won't call her out online, but she knows who she is} who speaks the blogging lingo.  For example, I can text her and say, "Check out The Teacher Wife's D5 Posters" or "You might be interested in Third Grade Thoughts Word Work Trio" and she totally gets it.  Now my husband... not so much.  He thinks we bloggers are our own little secret society :)




Source: 3rd-grade-thoughts.blogspot.com via Jamie on Pinterest 

5. I love the blogging and TPT world and probably definitely spend way too much time doing it, but I LOVE learning, collaborating, chatting, and discovering new things.  Education is my passion and with passion comes hard work.  I LOVE the quote below:











6. I love working out.  I have not had the time to this summer as I've been super busy finishing up my classes and preparing for presentations this summer, but during the school year, I love to exercise.  I wear a heart rate monitor that counts my calories when I work out and it makes me feel SO good to leave the gym knowing I burned 600-700 calories in an hour.  Awesome!




7. I love to read.  It's my "happy time", an escape into another world for a little while.  I read at night after the hubby goes to sleep.  I read in bed on my iPad.  If you have not tried this, you should.  I was one of those people who said, I think I need to feel the actually book in my hands.  Well, once you read a book on your iPad or other handheld, you will never go back to paper.  Convenient and awesome to read in bed without disturbing the dear hubby by having a light on.  Next on my reading list:




8. Quirks...I can't leave these out.  They make me me.  I won't drink out of a cup at a restaurant (must have a straw).  Most of the time I even ask for my drink in a to-go cup.  I won't sit on the inside of a booth at a restaurant either.  I'm a very picky eater, no slimy, mushy, weird textured foods.  I can't sleep unless I'm on my right side with my hand under the pillow.  I hate teeth.  Don't really like feet either.  Spiders make me scream, as well as mice.  I'm a night owl and can easily go on 5 hours of sleep.  My classroom is immaculate, while my house is a mess.  Laundry can pile up for days...don't bother me!  AND Pinterest says it's A-OK :)



Well, that's me in a nutshell.  My favorite clothing attire is jeans and a t-shirt with hair in a ponytail, little to no make-up.  I'll end my post with another pin that I just love and it totally fits the moment.

Source: facebook.com via Jamie on Pinterest


Now, it's your turn!  Let us know a little about you.  Link up with Amy Lemons by clicking the button below.  Have a great night!

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